Uhe Hermiston Heraln
VOLUME XXX
HERMISTON, UMATILLA COUNTY,
NUMBER 32
FATE OF uwe,”
DAM r a HANDS
WASHINGTON BOARD
DAILIES GIVE SPACE TO RIVER
MAPS AND STORIES
OREGON,
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPEB
APRIL 2. 1936
Board of Engineers at Washington to Consider Merits of Plan to Extend Navigation of Columbia; Annual
Savings of Millions Seen for Producers in Inland Empire Area
350
e
3 3 300
$3
4:2
"4
CHANNEL IMPROVEMENT ABOVE
UMATILLA THOUGHT USELESS
Channel Improvement Above Uma-
• tilla Brought Into Dam Hearing
at Washington.
WALLULA
GATEWAY
CLUB
MAP OF UMATILLA RAPIDS PROJECT
AND TRIBUTARY AREA
Discussion ot the Umatilla dam
has never been on more tongues than
right now. In slang phrase it is
"hot”.
Interest has spread not only
among local people but is warm over
the Pacific Northwest, and lately
more particularly in Portland, The
Dalles and Hood River. Sunday,
March 15th, the Portland Oregonian
gave almost a full page to a map
and cuts, and an article strongly
setting out the reasons why the dam
should be built at this time. Since
that day the same metropolitan pa
per in the Oregon metropolis has
contained other articles, and other
newspapers have followed with news
and comments.
A hearing on the Robins report
in Washington before the U. S. Ar
my board was held March 16th, and
the army board will make a report
in the near future. This hearing
was attended by senators and mem
bers of Congress from three north
west states, and new arguments
were submitted to the consideration
of the army board. A full report of
the hearing has not yet been re
ceived from Washington. Except
for a new movement that appears to
have the earmarks of interference
with the immediate construction of
the dam, things are going fine for
favorable action from the engineers,
and a powerful and united popular
and political support.
After the dam is approved by the
army board, favorable action must
then be secured from Secretary Har
LADDER
old L. Ickes and President Franklin
D. Roosevelt, before funds are ap
propriated.
It has been shown to the higher
authorities that the Umatilla rapids
is the key to the entire complete de
velopment of the Columbia and
Snake rivers. Eighty per cent of
the tonnage of the inland empire is
above Umatilla rapids, and success
fully economic navigation below
must depend on the traffic from
above.
The Umatilla rapids site was
shown to be in the geographic cen
ter ot the Pacific northwest. It is
180 miles from Bonneville and 180
miles from Grand Coulee. It is 200
miles from Portland, 200 from the
Sound cities and 200 from Spokane.
It is 300 miles from the mouth of
the Columbia, 300 from the Cana
dian line, 300 from Western Mon
tana and 300 from the heart of the
Boise-Payette Irrigation projects.
East of a line north and south
through the Umatilla rapids live
1,500,000 people, while west of the
line in this Pacific Northwest live
2,000,000 people. Nearly half of
the people of the northwest would
be directly benefited by reduced
freight rates, and half a million
would receive cheaper electric rates
within reasonable transmission dis
tances from Umatilla rapids who
would have to pay much higher
A plea for assistance in maintain
rates from either Bonneville or ing the Hermiston Community park
Grand Coulee.
project is issued this week by mem
The new navigable Columbia bers of the park board. It appears
would be extended 110 miles to as follows:
Priest Rapids, or 410 miles inland.
Every person living in the west
The pool or slack water would back end of Umatilla county should be in
up the Snake to Five Mile Rapids, terested in the Hermiston Commun
and would justify the continuation ity park. This is your amusement
center and if you will take an in
of the work on up the Snake by a terest In the building of it, it can
series of small dams, which the gov and will be made the most beautiful
ernment engineers do not otherwise park in eastern Oregon, and be a
monument to the works progress ad
justify.
ministration of the federal govern
The new navigable river would ment.
extend to within 30 miles of Yakima
In order that this may be accom
and also of the new Kittitas project. plished. It Is necessary that you
It would tap by trucks and good now give to your park board your
financial assistence. Money must be
highways for 60 miles the great ap raised
now in order to carry on the
ple center of Wenatchee. It would park board's part of the project.
reach the new Roza project now be
The federal government has ap
ing built at a cost of 112,000,000 propriated more than $22,000 for
by a short highway of 12 miles. It the building of this park, but this
would extend along the Columbia money can be used for relief labor
only, with a small percentage of it
Basin project for which the Grand being used for building material,
Coulee dam is being built, for a dis and this material can be purchased
tance of 75 miles from Pasco to | only as the relief money for labor
se
Priest Rapids. By direct route | has been expended, and in no
more than 20 percent of the
through joint truck and water ser shell
money that has been expended for
vice and joint rail and water uses, it I labor be paid out for material—
would bring reduced rates to Spo hence the delay by the park board
kane. the great wheat belt of thé in erecting the fair buildings. How
Palouse and Western Montana and ever. the administrators of the
North Idaho.
Works Progress Administraion are
The annual present tonnage is es- heartily in favor of our park project,
timated at 12,000,000, and the an considering It one of the best WPA
nual additional potential tonnage at projects in eastern Oregon, and are
(Continued on page •)
(Continued on page 5)
SUPPORT OF PARK
PROJECT IS ASKED
WALLULA GATEWAY
CLUB OPPOSES
PROPOSED CHANNEL
S
A*
" hr "ones
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Erses
M 0 RR 0 W
La GrAnoE
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BAKER
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—Courtesy Morning Oregonian
The circle on the above map has a radius of 75 miles from the Umatilla rapids dam site.
The north edge of the circle is 85 miles from Grand Coulee. The west edge on the Colum
bia is the same distance from Bonneville. The circle includes almost all of the Yakima
and Columbia Basin projects and taps Kittitas county. It wholly includes the Walla Walla
valley and all other irrigation projects in the inland empire, amounting to approxima
tely two million acres of 50,0 00 present and potential irrigated farms. The tonnage from
all this region naturally would flow down a water grade at reduced rates through river
navigation. Electric power at Umatilla is estimated at 1.2 mills per kilowat hour. The cost
of generation at either Bonneville or Grand Coulee, as reported by the state ot
Oregon power commission would cost the users within this circle from four to six times
as much. A general hookup of the three plants is considered desirable by government en
gineers. It is estimated that irrigation power within this circle area during the summer
flow of the Columbia river, may be produced at half a mill per kilowat hour. This area
when these developments nowunderway. along with developments made possible through
the navigation, power and irrigation features of the Umatilla dam, will support twice as
many people as now live in either Portland or Seattle and according to government statis
ticians will add when developed, one person to the big city population to every two who
live on the farms and in the smaller towns of the area within the circle. Through the
low cost of power at the dam increased uses of electricity would multiply almost a thous
and fold according to recent local signups and figures from the federal power commission.
COMMITTEES NAMED FOR
PAUL MILLER PASSES AWAY
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION. AT OAKLAND. CALIFORNIA.
The Fourth of July committees
have been appointed for preliminary
work of organization of the celebra
tion program, by Herbert Hedwall,
president of the Commercial Club.
Roy Hale is made chairman of all
committees, and Al Quiring is secre
tary-treasurer.
Harold Thompson of the boy
scout organization will have charge
of concessions. Harry Kelly of the
American Legion will superintend
the dance and smoker. John Jen-
drzejewski of the fair board will
look after the grounds. Ed Dun
ning of the Westland Grange and
Roy Penny of the Stanfield Grange
will arrange the picnic feature. The
parade director will be Al Kennings
Advertising will be fn charge of
Lloyd Moore.
The park board will be represen-
ted on the committee by F. C. Me-
Kenzie, and the Farm Bureau by
Henry Sommerer. A baseball direc
tor will be appointed later.
The next meeting of the renerai
committee will be Wednesday night.
April 8, at the American Legion
hall.
—
- =------
Stare Hit Filmed
"Anything Goes,” which comes
Friday to the Oasis theatre. Is Para
mount's screen version of the Broad
way stage hit. Bing Crosby heads a
cast of popular favorites, which In
cludes Ethel Merman. Charles Rug-
glee and Ida Lupino.
Paul Miller, for years a resident
ot the Hermiston project, passed
away at the home of his brother at
Oakland, Cal., Monday, March 23,
following an operation from which
he was thought to be convalescing
nicely. The immediate cause of his
death was due to a heart attack.
Word of his death was received bere
Sunday by friends.
Mr. Miller was a member of the
Odd Fellow lodge and was interested
in amateur radio and short wave.
He operated a fruit ranch In Colum
bia district for a number of years,
and then traded for land at Stan
field where he lived for two years.
He went to California last fall to
spend the winter with his mother
and brother.
|
' T. P. A. WILL DISCUSS HOT
LUNCH PROBLEM WEDNESDAY.
Members of the T.P.A. and Inter
ested persons will meet at the
school house Wednesday, April 8. to
discuss the hot lunch problem and
outline a program for the next
school year. Mis Francis Clinton,
county home demonstration agent,
will be present to assist In the plan
ning.
The regular T.P.A. meeting will
be held Wednesday. April 15, at
which time election of officers will
be held.
Inland Navigation Company of Se
attle Proposes to Build Special
Boat to Navigate Columbia.
The Wallula Gateway club is now
opposing a proposal made by certain
elements in the Northwest to con
struct a cheap, channel through the
Umatilla Rapids which is alleged to
be only a temporary aid to naviga
tion while the dam is being built.
This channel is estimated to cost
5250,000 and is based on a basis of
blowing out a few rocks.
A brief was filed before the army
board by a Dr. Black, who repre
sented the Columbia Valley associa
tion of Portland. A report was made
by the army engineers to the board
in Washington. The Inland Naviga
tion company ot Seattle, is asking
for a common carrier certificate
from the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, which is to be heard May
4th in Washington, and this com
pany is proposing to build a special
boat for such hazardous navigation.
The boat is to be 38 feet wide and
190 feet long .with two engines of
combined strength of 1600 horse-
power. It is reported to contain six
tanks tor gasoline shipments so that
If one is jammed the contents of the
others will not be lost, and the deck
will be made to carry wheat down
stream.
Much publicity Is being given
this so-called effort to start naviga
tion above Umatilla, and the under
current in its favor is sttrong and
is generally misunderstood.
The supporters of the Umatilla
dam contend that this movement is
a deliberate effort to defeat the im
mediate construction of the Uma
tilla dam. The Wallula Gateway
club has submitted data as to who
are the promoters to the members
of congress, and to all leaders who
are In favor of the day, and it is
hoped that the movement will be
stopped.
Col. T. M. Robins, in his report
last year on the Umatilla dam. stat
ed that all money spent for attempts
at channeling through the Umatilla
dam would be wasted as slack water
from Umatilla to the mouth of the
Snake was the only possible solu
tion to successful economic naviga
tion for the Inland Empire region.
The new boat will require six feet
of water and cannot reach the
mouth of the Snake through Homli
rapids which has a prevailing depth
of only four feet. The new naviga
tion company therefore proposes to
build a port at Dent’s Landing, a
point somewhere on the Columbia,
about four miles below Wallula.
KEIKKALA-BROCK
Miss Esther Kelkkala, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. V. 8. Keikkala of West
land district, and Mr. Ceci IBrock of
Parkdale were united In marriage
March 5 at Stephenson. Wn. They
plan to make their home In Park-
dale. Ore., and at present are living
with Mr. Brock’s parents, Mr. and
Mrs. John Brock of Parkdale.
Attend Corvallis Meeting.
W. A. Sawyer, assistant county
agent, and H. K. Dean, superinten
dent of the Umatilla Field Station,
left last Sunday for Corvallis where
RED CROSS MAKES URGENT
they attended a federal farm exten
sion meeting at which the federal
APPEAL FOR RELIEF FUNDS
farm program was discussed, Mon
day and Tuesday. Walter Holt,
The Red Cross is making an ur county agent of Pendleton, also at
tended the meeting. Mrs. Sawyer
gent appeal for contributions for accompanied Mr. Sawyer to Corval
flood sufferers. The Umatilla coun lis.
—9 e------
ty chapter has sent the money from
its subscription fund, but the dire :............♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
need of 450,000 people in thirteen
ALONG THE CONCRETE
♦
states makes it necessary to call for ♦
additional voluntary contributions.
The need of help has hot abated to9*499*6*******
E. E. Rainwater fed some of the
with the receding of the flood wat
ers—The tragedy Is so great that Farm Bureau egg laying mash to
the president of the United States his hogs by mistake and later found
has called on the Red Cross to gath a neat of eggs in the pig pen.
Carl Jackman was looking for a
er funds for the relief of the dis
battery under the back seat of Mrs.
tressed thousands.
Won't you do your bit? Contribu Fred Painter’s car Wednesday morn
tions may be deposited In the box at ing In all sincerity. Carl knew bet
the Hermiston Drug company, or ter but he forgot it was April fool's
left at the Tum-A-Lum Lumber com day.
Mrs. J. B. Beebe has three child
pany.
ren In her family who were born on
R A BROWNSON.
Dist. Chairman Red Cross. the first day of April. One is 30
years old, the other two 28 and 14.
respectively. Two other children
EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES
have birthdays in November.
O. O. Felthouse running out of
PLANNED FOR APRIL 12TH.
gas at the outskirts of the city Wed
Easter morning worship services nesday where it would be conveni
are being planned for April 12th by ent for the school children to get
Hermiston churches.
Pre-Easter off the bus and walk Into town.
Rohrman Motor company wreck
services are now being conducted at
the Methodist church by Rev. R. R. ing car going out on a job and find
Finkbeiner with a fine attendance. ing no wreck.
Walter Hamm was doing his Roy
Special Easter services will be Scout good deed last Saturday when
conducted by the Hermiston Union he washed the window In the office
ehurch Sunday evening, on Easter. of City Attorney W. J. Warner.
Other churches are planning special Hallowe'en’s good turn was still on
services in observance of the day. the window.